"Growing up, my parents had this little fish and chips restaurant in Anaheim in the shadows of Disneyland, and they didn’t close until 9 PM. As a family, we didn’t eat dinner until 10 PM, and we would watch the original Star Trek every night at 11. My dad worked 364 days a year, only took Thanksgiving off, and from age 8 to 18, the only time I could hang out with my parents was by staying late. And every night, it was Star Trek on Channel 13 in L.A. That was my childhood. All my friends were Star Wars kids but I didn’t go to the movies, so I was the Star Trek kid. Thinking about this, it became a very personal and very emotional decision."
I read this and I immediately get excited. Here is a guy taking over the new Trek franchise and he actually states it is a major part of his youth and his family time together, which is how many of us know Star Trek on a personal level. This is very promising. He goes on to suck me in more in the same interview.
“As great as JJ’s films were, there’s still a lot to be mined from these characters, They haven’t really gone on their five-year mission, so what we experienced in the TV show hasn’t been touched on yet. That sets up an opportunity for exploration and the deeper you go, the more you are examining humanity. Those are the things that I absorbed as a kid and hope to tap into and embrace and celebrate. By the time this movie comes out, Star Trek will have been around for 50 years.”
At this point I am sold on Lin. Maybe he does know what he is talking about and he realizes there is a big missing hole in the new franchise, exploration and humanity. Up to this point, all the new Star Trek films have been about action, special effects, and I will say it: lens flare.
Then he puts his foot in his mouth and loses me for a moment. “It’s all new and fresh. The Klingons, Romulans and other species are great, but it’s time to go further. It has been fun to focus on creating whole new worlds and species.”
This one statement puts me back so far in my mind I couldn't even comprehend what he was saying. New species? New worlds? Oh, wait, isn't that part of the original opening statement of the TV series? "Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go.." Yes. Yes it is. Now I am back on board the Lin train.
As with the other new Star Trek movies and the franchise itself, I will go in with an open mind and see if I like it. Until then, I will keep Klingons, Romulans, Andorians and other species close to my heart and hope they are still part of the Lin franchise of movies because they made Star Trek what it is. They should always be part of the Universe we love so much. I love you Worf!